Whether its body shaming, gender shaming or outright cyber bullying, online harassment is a real problem in a virtual world.

The Internet is comprised of everyday people, who feel powerful enough to unmask and unleash their abuse when they are online. So what is it about sitting in front of a monitor and keyboard that makes these individuals feel invincible? A lack of accountability.

Neither the user who posted the video nor Facebook itself was held accountable. A dangerous precedent was set, where the broadcasting of violent acts against women on popular social media platforms is deemed acceptable. Meanwhile, Facebook’s policy on photos of women breastfeeding remains painfully opaque and negative.

Sadly, this is an all too common occurrence. Violent images are deemed acceptable while healthy images are deemed unacceptable. Though violence against women isn’t new, violence against women over the internet is. Yet, we continue to treat internet violence the same way we treated domestic violence in the past – we ignore it and, all too often, blame the victim.

The internet provides an opportunity for accountability, in theory. We can see your comments, and we can report you for them if they are offensive or threatening. But to what end? Often we’re told the user is not in violation of a service’s user policy. Such was the case when Anita Sarkeesian reported rape threats as abusive and in violation of Twitter’s terms of service. Twitter disagreed. Nothing happened.

The added danger of social media is it allows users to post and then delete their comments, which sometimes makes harassment more difficult to prove. That brings us back to the 1950s circular issues of ‘Ma’am we can’t help you, if you can’t prove he harmed. Come back when you are bruised, bloodied or dead.’

To prevent being harassed, victims are told to log off or delete their account. This digital dismissal has become all too common. It is the equivalent of ‘Yes ma’am, we understand you were sexually assaulted but what were you wearing?’ The misguided belief that, simply by being present and visible, the victim invited the unwanted behaviour.

The lack of accountability associated with online violence and harassment perpetuates the digital dismissal of women by making women fear for their safety. It reinforces male dominance and perpetuates and facilitates violence against women.

We, the users, need to ensure the laws that govern the real world also govern these virtual places and spaces. We need to ensure companies and individuals who violate the rights of others are held accountable. Logging off and deleting our account is not the answer. We will not be silenced and we won’t be silent.

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.